Rangers-Sharks in review

I don’t know which game was the Rangers’ second best of the season, but it wasn’t even close to this one. And not just because of the score … if they played the exact same game and, say, lost in a shootout, this still was their best of the year by miles.

Thoughts:

1) … and boy did they need it. If you heard the post-game audio I posted, I talked to a bunch of players about how this was the way they played last year when they were successful. Hard on the puck, relentless, everybody doing his part … and for almost the whole 60. Because, honestly, most games, it had been about 30. Or fewer.

2) You could see Ryan Callahan coming on for a while. You could see Derek Stepan was getting closer. And Michael Del Zotto. But now you see Brandon Dubinsky playing very strong in all three zones, and Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust. This team’s not good enough to win with three or four guys. But it’s plenty good enough when the whole group goes together. And, as I’ve said before, a lot of stuff won’t matter if they don’t get offense from the top two lines.

3) I thought Andre (Bell Biv) Deveaux (The Bahama Bomba) was pretty good in his role, and I didn’t know that he played for John Tortorella in Tampa. He looked decent in the preseason, too. So given that, and given that the two non-contributors (Erik Christensen and Wojtek Wolski) both contributed in this game, and given that NHL coaches rarely change lineups after a solid win … it’s going to be very interesting to see what happens to No. 16 tomorrow in practice and Thursday against Anaheim.

4) In my opinion, though, the smart thing to do is to play him immediately, avoid all the nonsense that will surround him not playing, and all the pressure that will be put upon him and the team (and the coach) if they wait until after a loss for Sean Avery to get a uniform. You scratch one of the above mentioned. They’ll get over it.

6) There was a minor flap yesterday because Artem Anisimov said he was briefly unconscious Saturday when clobbered by Zenon Konopka. The flap, of course, is that unconsciousness signals concussion. But the team and the coach insist that Anisimov’s language barrier caused a misunderstanding of the question, and that he never was unconscious. So here’s a primer for Anisimov. The definition of unconscious is that back-hander up under the water bottle. That’s unconscious.

7) The penalty call against Boyle? The tripping call vs. Del Zotto? Pansification. How the hell is Avery going to play with all these new rules?

8) How about Martin (2-0) Biron?

9) Some Halloween stuff, because, man NYC can be a crazy place on Oct. 31. First, I’ve told youse this story before, but for those who haven’t heard it … The team always had/has a Halloween party. One year, after the Rangers signed Edmonton’s Scott Frasier to a ridiculous contract (he was another one of those Rico Fata/Enver Lisin guys), he showed up at the team Halloween party with a bandit’s mask and a sack. Asked what he was supposed to be, Frasier said, “My agent.”

10) There were also a lot of fans dressed as seats last night. Especially the Yankee Stadium seats near the glass. Attendance is always down early in the season. But you have to wonder if the renovated Garden will be the new Yankee Stadium, minus the moat, where the best seats are too expensive to be filled. Seriously a puck flipped over the glass into the first row, and it became a race between a guy from the fourth row and a guy 15 empty seats away in the first row, The guy from the fourth row wound up face down in the aisle, the guy from 15 empty seats away got the puck.

11) Whenever I see the Sharks, I remember that night in San Jose when Eric Lindros suffered his first concussion as a Ranger, and Theo Fleury punched out the mascot to begin the road trip to hell.

12) Joe Thornton thinks the Rangers are soft. Those would be the Rangers who are 2-0 against San Jose the last two seasons. Really, Joe? Wait ’til Avery gets here.

13) He won’t get a star on this night, but Marian Gaborik was a horse again.

14) That one shift, I thought the Sharks were going to run out the clock.

115 Comments

Even the worst bear markets have vicious bounces resulting in crushed hopes. One win and many of you are giving way to thoughts of sugar plums . This team is more helloween than it is dark Christmas. Use this opportunity of weakness to move ur underachieving players.

Great win. Saw the highlights this morning – maybe the threat of Avery returning has put a rocket up Christy & Wolski’s butts as they would be most likley to miss out in favour of #16 (if he doesnt get claimed in the next 6-7 hours!

Carp, there were plenty of empty seats in 300s and even higher last night…
I thought Richards was good last night too.
I should definitely go with my son more often, I don’t think they lost a game when he was there yet.
Got to run, later!

So Uncle Larry reckons the Isles could scupper the plans to bring back Avery. Would he even report there?
Would Garth Snow make the claim, knowing that Avery probably wont want to play, and try to squeeze something out of Slats to get him back?

Personally this whole recall waivers thing needs to join the trapezoid and skills competition in the “nhl’s dumb ideas bin”

Good morning. Great win last night. This team needs to understand that it’s 100% necessary for them to play a full 60 minutes. It makes a world of difference.

Carp, speaking of empty seats, did you happen to see Giannone’s 150 last night? They showed the Panthers game (vs. the Jets I believe) and I’m pretty sure there were more people at my grade school basketball game. No joke. It was pathetic.

One more item: it really almost goes without saying at this point, but McMonster was solid again last night. Even if a miracle happens and we get Staal back soon, I’d leave him and Girardi together. They are very impressive.

#3 – on the flip side – contributions from EZ and Wuss is further evidence of how bad the Sharks D was last night. We should not expect that porous a back line every night and contributions from those two any night.

Sauer (+4) return has solidified two pairs on our back line and with MDZ (+7) taking his smart pills and not trying to make the crazy break out pass or leave his zone too early, that pair is relatively solid (pending MDZ’s further development.)

Our third pair is just flat out atrocious. There are shifts in the 2nd period on the long change that are epic in a bad kind of way. Woywhatever and Auntie Em can flat out stink up the joint on some shifts.

3 pts in 3 games on this stand – was counting on 4 pts now with last night being a loss.

“The definition of unconscious is that back-hander up under the water bottle. That’s unconscious.”

You owe me a new monitor. Mine has coffee all over it now. LMAO

It makes you wonder why they haven’t been able to play that way until now.

SN -“Woywhatever and Auntie Em can flat out stink up the joint on some shifts.”

Well, that’s why they’re a 3rd pairing and not a first. How many 5th and 6th d-men in the league are consistently good?

Despite his two assists Christensen still stinks. The pass to Callahan was lucky that it got by a d-man, the goalie, went between the other d-man’s legs to Cally. Come on. It was a fling the puck and see what happens. If it was that skilled it would happen more often, wouldn’t it?

I kept an eye on Gaborik a few times when he didn’t have the puck. He does a decent job backchecking. He does a good job behind the other team’s goal line. Torts is turning him into a well rounded player.

Brad Richards is worth whatever they are paying him and then some. Just watch the guy play. He’s so much more hockey intelligent than 95% of the players out there. He’s definitely a guy to build around.

Yes, I was impressed with Wolski last night. He was much more engaged. Now, if he can do that two games in a row I’ll really be impressed.

I hate Sather as much as the next guy, but you have to admit that picking up Marty Biron was a darn good acquisition. If Henrik gets injured the team won’t be in panic mode.

Carp- this may be what you were suggesting but after watching Christensen and Wolski contribute I have a feeling that Avery will spend his first game back Prucha’d. I can’t even imagine how much fervor that will produce.

mdz needs to get stronger. he has a hard time knocking guys off the puck. hes like scrappy doo out there. has played pretty decent most of the time lately though. he was a 1st round pick, just like woywitka! theres some hope for ya. meanwhile girardi never drafted. sauer was a 3rd? 4th rounder? but eminger, woywitka, both were 1st rounders and are 3rd pair time fillers waiting for some kid to take their place. a least we didnt draft them.

I have to admit when I am wrong. I really don’t like Del Zotto’s game and I think his on ice instincts are not very good. But, having watched him for three straight games in person now, he has improved since the last time I saw him in person. He still gets caught out of position too many times, but he’s attempting to be more physical and be responsible in his own zone. In my eyes, he’s been upgraded to a 6-7 which for me is saying alot considering I didn’t even understand how he was making in the AHL.

What if Avery plays 12 minutes, with no shots, fights or goals, but plenty of forechecking, gets a couple of hits and gets the opposition defence & goalie would up so much he draws 2 or 3 powerplays, offset by maybe a phantom trip? Ammunition for the pro and con Avery crowd?

All i’m hoping is that he shows up and gives 100% unlike one or two others who like to take a few shifts(or entire games) off. 3.5 hours till waiver deadline.

What if Avery shows up to the game but can’t play due to a suspender malfunction earlier in the day? Then he spends the game in the press box but can’t see the action because his glasses are too tinted for the lighting in the new arena.

Sparky the Dragon needs some help as the Isles mascot, good time to claim Avery so they can cheer up the kids. Either that or Tortorella can change meds and say Avery does not belong in the league after he’s fired.

Micheal Haley needs to work the punching bag some more, he can come up and beat Avery’s face in some more.

What a shock Biron outplayed Flukeqvist again….NOT. Better get his bus out and throw Biron under it like Valiquette.

Better get some more virtual signage to stuff in Flukeqvist billboard pads.

Cheer up Raggies, Dolan, Avery, Isiah and Leetch can sing Fix the Rags to fill all those empty seats. Daddy Doug ME-$$-I-er wants half for his son to appear and cry.

Carp – not sure what your grocer is squawking about, but your prose is quite lovely. You have a wonderful sense of style. Your grocer should feel fortunate he isn’t Chris christie’s bag bit because that would be some major hernia operations twice a week.

1) A decent number of Sharks fans in the house, especially considering how far CA is. It’s not like Toronto or Montreal either that are just notorious for having large amounts of fans travel with the team. They all must’ve felt at home with the black and teal seats.

2) Best costume I saw at the game last night were two guys dressed as the Hanson brothers. It wasn’t just how they were dressed, either. They genuinely looked like them. But they were missing a third.

3) Some terrible, terrible jersey fouls last night. One guy had a jersey with no number that had arching across the back “N.Y.I & N.J.D SUCK.” One guy had an Avery liberty jersey, which means that he went and had Avery added to his blank liberty jersey, since Avery has never worn that jersey. Someone was wearing a heritage jersey with Messier on it, which I think is lame (since he never wore it… might as well be Gilbert), but that was then topped by someone else who had a Leetch heritage jersey with the C! But the biggest foul of the night was someone wearing a Gartner jersey with a C. Seriously? A Gartner captain jersey? Idiot.

Chris Christie giant ball is atop times square as the countdown to noon continues. Billions if people have taken the streets to witness history…. One Chinese man Long Hung Dong when asked about the event said “I leary like him he my fav langer”

2) What a game for Eric Christensen! Not just the assists, either. He was skating hard, shooting the puck, winning faceoffs. I haven’t seen him play that good of a game since we first got him and set him up with Gaborik and Prospal.

3) Wolski played really well also. Gonna be hard to sit either of them for Avery after that. That goes double for Wolski who was pretty good at times against Ottawa.

4) Dubi had by far his best game of the season. The move he made on Stepan’s goal was fantastic.

5) Pretty much good games for everyone all around. I’d say the guys that impressed me the least were Fedotenko, Eminger, and Deveaux.

6) Speaking of Deveaux, I think he should be the guy that sits for Avery. I thought he was pretty invisible out there until the last minute of the game when he was on the PP. It’s also just the easiest way to get Avery in the lineup and in a spot where he would be more effective than a guy like Zuccarello.

my oh my the trolls are running around the woods today. must be in heat.

Carp- great write up. This was the 2nd game of the season I was actually able to watch. Looks like some of these guys are getting their game back. As for Avery- the most interesting ‘what if’ is simply – What if he comes in and plays and the team isn’t any better/worse when he plays? It’ll be interesting to see where people point their finger next (aside from Torts of course)

Christensen and Wolski are only consistent at being inconsistent. Idc what they did last night or if they do something good next game on top of it. It’s not going to last and those of us with brains know it.

There seems to be a serious conflict between eddies the upper case and Eddies the lower case regarding the Avery affair. Lowercase eddies want avery to play 20 minutes a game. Uppercase Eddies want last year’s average of only 6 minutes. It’s a mute point. We will see what we see when we see it.

If I may speak for James, Dubinsky’s a completely different animal than the Mannequins. He’s inconsistent, yes, but he’s done it before, he has lots of upside still, he plays with passion, sticks up for teammates … and he’s an important cornerstone. Maddening? OK. But not a soft, emotionless lump, either.

Just as greece is giving it to Europe in the Aasen in the hopes of making the german population pay for 100days a year vacation while the greeks eat seaweed wrapped olives, so too shall this Rangers’ team make it difficult for its patrons to be seated.

I was in my first year of college when he was a freshman Bob. But had you been trolling here back in March/April you’d know I was saying that it was time for him to show some A game in the playoffs or maybe it was time to part ways due to the inconsistency.

Hah, Scott Fraser! Excellent blast-from-the-past reference, Carp. I remember his signing very well. He was supposed to be the perfect winger for Gretzky. Oops.
It seems like we have a sordid history with Dartmouth players…

My boy Dubi making a comeback….. dubi & mcdonagh my fave rangers now…McD with such pretty skating…. maybe Avery will come to the team committed to hockey again where he can be a useful player again… eddie is right as always: give the guy a chance

close your eyes, have no fear, the monster’s gone he’s on the run and your daddy’s here…beautiful beautiful boy, before you go to sleep, say a little prayer, every day in every way, is getting better and better,,,,beautiful beautiful, boy…..out on the ocean, sailing away, i can hardly wait, to see you come of age, but i guess we are both going to have tohave patience……..before you cross the street, take my hand, life is what happens when you are busy making other plans….beautifil beautiful boy…

People didnt want him 3 years ago when he was on waivers and still had some upside. No one’s going to take him now either…Though I coulda told you there would be Avery to the Isles rumors at any point that he was brought back up.